CONFRONTING THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

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The Problem

Every day, nearly 4 North Carolinians die from a medication or drug overdose

705m

705 million opioid pills were prescribed in North Carolina in 2016

1.8bn

The economic impact of these deaths is $1.8 billion per year in medical expenses and lost work

400%

The number of overdose deaths has increased by nearly 400% in 16 years

The Solution

COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO CONFRONT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

Prevention

Decreasing the number of people who get addicted in the first place is the goal of prevention. This must address both people who might misuse prescription drugs as well as the doctors and dentists who might overprescribe them.

Treatment

There are hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians struggling with addiction who need help reclaiming their lives. Expanding access to treatment is critical. So is ensuring access to recovery services for those who have successfully stopped using them.

Enforcement

People who profit off other people’s misery and death must be punished. Law enforcement needs the tools and resources to reduce the diversion of prescription opioids and stem the flow of illicit drugs into North Carolina. We also need to support law enforcement’s innovative strategies to tackle this crisis because we will not arrest our way out of it.